Many women in schools, but few at the top

A former math teacher, Diane Cody didn't hesitate when she was asked whether she could grasp the complexities of a school budget.

Still, Cody felt the queries about her financial aptitude smacked of sexism. She wondered if school boards were asking the same questions -- in the same tone -- of her male colleagues interviewing for superintendent spots.

"There was that perception of, women can't handle the numbers and, as a former math teacher, I found that an unfair perception," said Cody, who applied for two superintendent jobs before landing the one in Winfield Elementary District 34.

Experts say the gender stereotyping Cody perceived is just one reason far more men than women serve as school district chief executives.

Only 26 percent of Illinois superintendents in the 2006-07 school year were women.

The numbers are nearly identical in the suburbs. Of the 83 school districts in the Daily Herald coverage area with a sitting superintendent, 22 -- or 27 percent -- have a woman at the helm.

The statistics are particularly glaring because females dominate most other jobs in K-12 education. Women make up more than three-quarters of all teachers and more than half of all principals in Illinois.

Still, female superintendents have made inroads.

As recently as the 1997-98 school year, just 10 percent of superintendent slots in Illinois were held by women.

Nationally, females make up 20 percent of superintendents, up from about 7 percent in 1992, a survey from the American Association of School Administrators said.

Elgin Area School District U-46 interim Superintendent Mary Jayne Broncato was one of 12 female superintendents in Illinois when she held the reins at Joliet Elementary District 86 in the 1980s.

Broncato said a new emphasis on superintendents with expertise in curriculum and instruction, rather than management and leadership, has opened the door for more women.

"Historically, women as they are coming up through the system are principals or involved in the curriculum area," Broncato said. "Because of so much focus on instruction, more attention is being given to the consideration of women."

Despite the gains, nearly one-third of female superintendents believe a "glass ceiling" exists that keeps them from reaching the top of their profession, the survey by the administrators association found.

"I would be satisfied if the demographics of school leadership … would reflect the demographics of the 48 million children we serve," said Sarah Jerome, superintendent of Arlington Heights Elementary District 25.

"It always helps in terms of role models to see someone who looks like you doing some great work," she said.

A 1990 study published in the Education Digest found that gender -- more than age, experience, background or skill -- determined where a person ended up in the school hierarchy.

Gender discrimination plays a role, as does the decision by many women not to pursue a job as a superintendent, studies say.

A 1999 report out of Texas A&M University concluded that search firms and school boards -- generally dominated by white men -- often held traditional gender values and were reluctant to hire women for top administrative positions.

"It's like in business, where women are not CEOs," said Lynn Krizic, superintendent of Elmhurst Community Unit District 205. "Sometimes there is a perception that female leaders aren't as strong as male leaders, so there is not always the belief that a female leader will be as effective."

Female superintendents are particularly rare at the high school level.

Of the 22 female superintendents in the Daily Herald coverage area, 16 head elementary districts, five head high school districts and just one leads a K-12 district.

"Again, it's a gender-based decision," said Krizic, whose district is K-12. "I think the complexities of unit and high school districts can be perceived by some boards as needing a man. And then the high school level includes the athletic piece."

Search firms know the numbers, and they actively work to right the imbalance, said Gerald Chapman, a consultant with Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, an executive search firm for schools.

"Clearly the market is dominated by men, and school executives have been very sensitive to that fact," said Chapman, the former longtime superintendent of Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211.

Hazard, Young and Attea searches resulted in the hiring of nearly one-third of local female superintendents.

"We do try to provide a balance in terms of candidates, and school boards generally encourage us to provide that balance," Chapman said.

But striking that balance is a challenge when women opt out of the mix.

Conflicting priorities, such as family versus career, as well as societal pressures can deter some women from seeking a superintendent spot.

Candidates, for example, often must be willing and able to pick up and move for the job.

"There's the issue of where the jobs are," Broncato said. "If you're going to do it, as a woman or a man, but probably especially as a woman, you really have to have a supportive family."

Local superintendents say they routinely work 60-hour weeks, frequently attending night meetings and evening networking events.

"A woman's not going to take that on with a 5-year-old, where a man might," Cody said. "As much as I consider myself a forward-thinking woman, the reality is even in my own household I did a lot more of that domestic stuff than my husband." Cody took nine years off from teaching to raise her children. She was 50 when she got her first job as a superintendent.

Cody's experience meshes with data from a New York state survey that showed the average first-time female superintendent was 50 with grown children, while the average male was in his early to mid-40s.

Similarly, a 1994 study published in The School Administrator found female superintendents were much more likely than their male counterparts to be single, widowed, divorced or have a commuter marriage.

Despite the challenges, local superintendents say they would recommend the job to female colleagues.

"I would say go for it," Jerome said. "It's such a wonderful and rewarding experience. And we really need highly qualified people to go into the profession."

Qualification, not gender, should determine who leads a district, the local superintendents stress.

"I don't know if the goal is gender balance," Krizic said. "The goal is to identify organizational goals and -- not to betray females -- but I think the decision should be based on what the individual brings to the table."